Cornering Confidence

Originally Posted by rictus01

Tim add your location to your profile, I know Dan (Grinch) and Scoobs both lives in Cosham which can't be far from you?

Beat me to it Mark.

Tim,

Poole Quay will be starting again soon and there are usually a few of us who take a bimble down. You are more than welcome to tag along.

i find the sv a very good handling bike as good as my old cbr if not better because my cbr was 4years old and the shock's were prob a bit worn, my new'ish sv on new springs handles great! it surprised me for a budget bike like all the other guys have said "dont push it the roads are damp, salty, cold and greasy"
the sv did take me sometime to learn how to ride it properley infact a rarther embarasing long time because of the engine characteristics(and me being used to IL4's), at slow speeds the sv is not smooth to corner so the right gear and the right rpm is critical.
as a new rider you should be enjoying just getting used to you new big bike and you can use your new found confidence in the summer when the roads are in good condition.

Simply give yourself time fella. Experience is a wonderful thing to help you gain both skill and confidance. I can't think why anyone would even want to get to the limit of the grip available at the edge of their tyres,particularly on the public roads.

A lot of it is B.S. from people trying to impress. The comment about 125's is very valid, if you watch Moto GP when they do an onboard run watching the "speedo" shows you that the top boys are not actually going massively faster through many of the bends,the main difference being how they get to the bends and how they come out of them again.

But then again after way too many years on bikes I still love the 50p cornering style which suits me to a tee!

[mattSV]

Scoobs wrote:-

Poole Quay will be starting again soon and there are usually a few of us who take a bimble down

...............

and a blat on the way home

[Biker Biggles]

Being a cheapskate skinflint I prefer the 20 p cornering method.Only riders of exotic Italian steeds can afford the 50 p version.When I was really poor I used to have to content myself with a thuppenny bit.I'm better than that now.

[quote="Peter Henry"]
A lot of it is B.S. from people trying to impress.


the only one near accident i had last year was trying to get my knee down felt like i lost the rear and the bike try'd to spit me off! i cant do it and yes it does pi$$ me off! but i know it will come. so for now i just enjoy the roads and relax!

[fizzwheel]

Hi Tim

Liz's parents live in Cosham, she knows that bend very well. It has a nice surface and its good for practising your corner technique.

What the others have said about relaxing and looking where you want to go and not looking at the road is excellent advice IMHO. I struggled with corners at first, but it just takes time and practice and then you'll get the hang of it. Dont rush things especially at this time of year when the roads are cold, Wait a couple of months for it to get warmer and then get out there and get some miles under your belt.



Have a look in the South West Surfers section of the forum, next time Liz and I are down in that area we'll pop a post up and maybe we could meet up for a bit of a ride out and a chat if you fancy that.

You should enjoy your riding for you and not worry about being passed or how slow you are, real bikers dont give a monkees about this kind of thing anyway.

A couple of small tips, from someone who is still slow ...

1) Have a flick through the police roadcraft book, theres a section on positioning for corers and it does work with some practice. Basically positioning your self for a better view arround the corner so it opens up quicker. Then you have to learn about vanishing points, etc etc, all will come with time..

2) Dont go steaming up to a corner, enter it and grab some front brake mid corner because you are going too fast, you can very easily grab too much and end up on your ****, and that hurts

Dan

What everybody else said.

Just relax, when I started I was getting overtaken by milkfloats on bends.
Don't even think about it, just relax and enjoy your riding its not Motogp.

Just concentarte on keeping it smooth, nice lines, look through the turn, (where you look is where you'll go).

The two lads who I normally ride with have about 700 years biking experience between them. First time I went out on a rideout with them after passing my test, they (obviously) left me for me dead. I didn't ride with them for about three monthes after that, just went out on my own in the twisties and enjoyed myself at my own pace, rode to work etc, just riding my bike, gaining confidence, getting used to the bike in different conditions and situations.

Next time I rode with my mates I was amazed how much faster I'd got, I still couldn't keep up with them, but I managed to stay in the same county as them

Just relax and enjoy it

Originally Posted by fizzwheel

You should enjoy your riding for you and not worry about being passed or how slow you are, real bikers dont give a monkees about this kind of thing anyway.

How true, i've been passed by everything going, from 50cc scotters to a Goldwing* . Ride within the limits you are happy with and push them slowly.

*In different situations, scooters in traffic, im sure they must be shouting banzi!

Dan